Congratulations: Monash Students Win First and Second Place in the 2025 “Chinese Bridge” Competition
24th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign University Students
It is with great joy and pride that I share the outstanding news: our Monash students have achieved a remarkable double victory — winning both First and Second Prize — at the 24th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign University Students (Melbourne Region), held on 24 May 2025.
This year’s competition was particularly intense, with 11 finalists from six universities. Among them were contestants who had completed primary education in China, the overall standard was impressively high.
Ava Tess Gibbons and Emma Froomes delivered exceptional performances. Their speeches, reflecting deeply personal experiences from their time studying in China through the CILP Program, were articulate, emotionally resonant, and culturally insightful. They impressed the judges not only with their fluency, but also with their calm, witty, and confident responses during the Q&A session. As a result, Ava was awarded First Prize, and Emma Second Prize — an incredible outcome for our team.
In the talent segment, Ava presented a vibrant and graceful fish lantern dance, captivating the audience with its elegance and energy. Emma gave a heartfelt guitar rendition of the Chinese song Thinking of You (《思念》), praised for its sincerity and emotional depth. Both performances were met with enthusiastic applause.
Thanks to their superb efforts, Ava and Emma will represent Australia at the global finals of the “Chinese Bridge” competition in China this July and August.
I was also honoured to receive the Excellent Coaching Award, which I share with our committed and inspiring teaching team. Sincere thanks to colleagues who have supported the students’ learning and recommendation, especially Lijun Bi and Hui Huang. I’d also like to thank Chunming Shan (also a member of this year’s judging panel), Xiaoping Fang, and all colleagues who supported rehearsals and provided encouragement along the way.
This double win is not only a personal triumph for the students, but also a strong testament to the quality and impact of Chinese language education at Monash. Thank you all for contributing to this shared success.
Hailan Paulsen, Chinese Studies